OSHA to Wheeling-Pitt: Cough up the cash

OSHA to Wheeling-Pitt: Cough up the cash

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) reported Thursday that it has cited Wheeling-Pittsburg Steel Corp. (WPSC) for 24 violations of occupational health standards. At the core of OSHA’s findings is that WPSC has not provided employees adequate protection from coke oven emissions. OSHA has ordered the company to remedy the violations and pay $224’000 in fines. Coke, a primary reducing agent in steel production, produces emissions during the firing process that contain known carcinogens. Prolonged exposure to the emissions can cause deleterious health effects. WPSC has 90 days to comply with OSHA’s order to repair air filtration systems on the coke oven batteries and train all managers, supervisors and foremen on coke oven standards. WPSC will have until December 31, 2005, to repair any further problems an OSHA-approved consultant may find thereafter. "Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel is committed to providing a safe work environment for its employees,” said company spokesman Jim Kosowski. “We have worked cooperatively with OSHA both during and following the inspections, and we expect to be in compliance with all but one issue by the end of July.” WPSC employs 3,100 people in Ohio, Pittsburgh, and West Virginia, including 350 at the Follansbee, West Virginia, plant where the violations were discovered.